The Tree Snake Houses Stretch Out into the Forest

The long, winding 'tree snake houses' nestle among the trees in Pedras Salgadas Park in Portugal.

The houses are so called because of their unconventional design that sees their modular shape as being adaptive to its natural surroundings. Designed by Luis Rebelo de Andrade and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade, the houses have a walkway that leads to a suspended house that takes its place between a host of trees. The houses are limited to two inhabitants, but the aim of the houses is to "recreate the fantasy of tree houses" without having to climb vertically upwards, since the structures are connected to the elevated flatland by a walkway. While the houses are constructed entirely of timber, the outside of the serpent-like buildings are covered in slate tiles, mimicking the rough, scabrous scales of a snake.

Inside the tree snake houses, the symmetrical, vertically stretched rooms have an elevated bed at the end with a rectangular window above and in front that overlooks the forest, while a meandering walkway connects to a sofa and some steps. On each side of the corridor leading to the living room, there is a kitchen and a toilet.